Tirothel
Geography The ancient city of Tirothel is located amdist the elvenmade mountain of Esleia in the elven continent of Elfwild. Physical Appearance Tirothel looms over the beautiful plains of the Elfwild, gleaming with its ivory rooftops and towers, and mystical firefly light. Sleek longships of pure white make sail up the waterfalls that descend into the great rivers, contradicting physics. Windows are elaborate in Tirothel, with many of the buildings providing exotic and fantastical mosaics depending on station of power and influence the owner has within society. The People of Tirothel Elves stand between 6 and 7 feet tall, with slender yet muscular builds. They have deeply etched features, with skin that has been well-tended, finely like silk. Their straight, fine hair is often white, silver, or pale gold, and they wear it long and loose. Their ears are long and pointed, and their eyes are pearly and opalescent orbs of vibrant blue, violet, or green, lacking pupils. Elves can’t grow facial hair and have little body hair. Elven children grow much as human children do, but their aging process slows to a crawl when they reach maturity. Once elves reach physical maturity, they do not age at all. The High elves of Tirothel are widely known as very direct, sometimes even rude or aggressive – but this is simply the High Elven way to communicate and does not necessarily mean anything negative. During conversation elves make eye contact, and expect those they speak to to do so as well; to not is a sign of disrespect. They are a loud race of people, preferring to be very dramatic and expressive, using gestures very excessively. It is not uncommon for High Elves to strike up conversation with strangers freely, especially if they are both waiting for services such as at a bank or similair situations. It is considered offensive for someone to not accept an invitation by a high elf, especially if the person being offered is not high elven, as they see any invitation from superior beings like them as an honor. High Elves are famous for their sayings, phrases, and philosophy. A few sayings being "eat, drink and be merry," "nothing new under the sun," "a time to be born and a time to die," and "vanity of vanities; all is vanity". Funeral traditions of High Elves are quite interesting. The Elves are distinguished by their non-trivial attitude towards death. The death of a loved one is perceived by them not as a loss, but as an ordinary event. This attitude is however not adopted in cases where the death was unnatural or sudden. All family members gather at the bedside of a dying person. In Tirothel, it is forbidden to cremate the bodies of the dead. While the body is deposited in the morgue, one of the relatives always remains with the corpse. The dead are dressed in white robes symbolizing the equality before death of people of different financial status. In Tirothel, outsiders are not allowed to offer condolences. The relatives of the dead should grieve in silence since it is believed that words are not enough to express sorrow. All citizens of the Aslynn Democracy must serve a minimum of eighty years in their grand military after they have reached maturity, and take annual slots in the reserves afterward. This has led the High Elven military to quickly become the largest, and most powerful force in the known world. This is why the Elvish Expeditionary Force had expanded across the continents, before the Revolt of Clouds, and the annihilation of the force ten years ago. Politics The High elven government is based on a three power system: *The Head Power, known as the Eladrin Seat, is formally elected by the people and serves a century-long term; they can serve three terms. Being the most the powerful member of elven government, the Eladrin Seat makes the majority of foreign and domestic policy decisions (although this is monitored by the Peer Powers) *The Peer Powers, known as the Ajah, are also elected as representatives for their perspective political parties, and monitor the decisions of the Head Power as well as enact and repeal laws through majority votes (as long as they are granted permission by both the Head Power and the Law Power). *The Law Power, known as the Ashaman, are the upholders of the law and can repeal laws or policies that break the basic 11 laws or the ideals of the nation. Law within Tirothel is dark, brutal, and as the elves see it, just. Often times the punishment for a crime is an eye for an eye. Especially deserters, who are hardly seen as people by their people, are promptly executed for such an offense. The High Elves are on poor standing with many nations, although they are not enemies with them. Recently, due to their reluctance to come to the aide of the Merinth Empire, this has put them at odds with the human nation. Aslynn does, however, remain strong allies with the nation of Val'shikori. Long have the elves held a mutual respect for their orcish friends, as they are the only race that the elves see as anyway near their level of civilization and intelligence. Orcs are one of the few races that are allowed within the city of Tirothel without much fuss from the authorities, and are viewed more as brothers and sisters rather than lower beings (a rare occurrence for the elves). Elven trade ships trade almost exclusively of late with the orcs, a fact that has limited the financial stability of the nation; although they receive trade from Agnor and occasionally Highmarch.